


Curiosity Killed the Associate

by Scovall



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-17
Updated: 2013-01-17
Packaged: 2017-11-25 19:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/642413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scovall/pseuds/Scovall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Donna's curiosity, Mike's ability to find trouble, and Louis's meddling come together.  Can Harvey make everything work out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curiosity Killed the Associate

“Good morning, Sherrie,” Donna greeted Pearson Hardman’s head receptionist.  Sherrie nodded in return as she went through the morning routine that would make the law firm open for business.

Donna was about to join the group of employees gathered around the firm’s private elevators, waiting to go to their respective floors, when she suddenly remembered that she actually needed to stop at the reception desk.  Doubling back, Donna waited a moment for the receptionist to pause before asking, “We still have a lost and found box down here, don’t we?”

“Yes, what are you looking for?” Sherrie headed for a discreetly placed door that opened into a small walk-in closet.  Inside was a cabinet that held various supplies for the reception area.

“I lost a pair of sunglasses.  I thought they were at home but I couldn’t find them last night,” Donna explained, “So I figured that maybe they were here.”

“We have several pairs of sunglasses,” Sherrie gestured towards a box sitting on one of the cabinet’s shelves, “Feel free to take a look.”

Donna was surprised by how many pairs of glasses there were in the box, mostly reading but also a few sunglasses.  Unfortunately, none of them were hers.  She sighed.   It wasn’t really surprising that no one had turned in her designer shades, but she had hoped.

Giving up on her glasses, Donna sifted through some of the items in the box, “How can so many people lose their keys and not come to find them?” she asked Sherrie. 

The brunette laughed, “The girls and I ask that all the time.”  She reached past Donna and pulled out a giant key ring, “This is our favorite.  Look at this thing: A Lexus key fob, her house keys, this little Coach thing with pictures of her kids inside, at least a dozen of theses tags – CVS, Panera, the library, her gym, and two different grocery stores.  It weighs at least a pound.  How do you not notice you’ve lost something like this?”

“How long has it been here?” Donna asked.  Replacing the Lexus keyless starter would be expensive and inconvenient, not to mention the rest of it.

“They’ve been here more than a week now.  We got the name Marian Hartley from one of the tags, her community center I think.  I looked her up in the firm’s database.  She’s listed as client so I called the number on file but all I got was voicemail.  I’ve left 2 messages but no one has called back.”  Sherrie glanced over as the phone on her desk began to ring, “I’ve got get that.  Sorry about your sunglasses.”

Donna closed the cabinet and headed for her desk.  It was time to get to work.

*********************************************************************************

Donna’s morning was fairly ordinary.  She fielded calls, kept Harvey on schedule, received a fancy coffee drink from Mike, and spent a few minutes chatting with Rachel in the break room.  Through it all, the mysterious key ring stayed on her mind.

Finally, she looked Marian Hartley’s up in firm’s database.  Just as Sherrie had said, Hartley was listed a client but she was not assigned to a specific attorney.  That was odd.  It appeared to Donna that the woman had called to set up an appointment but had never actually come in.  If she had never come in, then why were her keys here?

That afternoon, Harvey and Mike were in court so Donna found herself with some extra time on her hands.  Noticing that Sherrie was eating lunch with a few other women, Donna headed back down to reception.

“Hi Susan, I was down here this morning checking lost and found for my sunglasses.  They weren’t there but I’m hoping that someone has turned them in since.  They’re really expensive.”

Susan, who was busy answering the phones, smiled and waved Donna towards the closet.  Looking the make sure that the other receptionist was busy greeting a guest, Donna reached into the lost and found box and slipped the monstrous key ring into her purse.

*********************************************************************************

The next morning, Donna arrived at work and was surprised to find Harvey already at his desk.  She still had the pilfered keys with her.  She had spent a great deal of time last night creating and discarding one theory after another for why Marian Hartley had not returned for her keys.  Now she wanted someone to share them with.  Grabbing the keys, she marched into Harvey’s office.

“I don’t suppose you ran into Mike on your way in, did you?” Harvey asked without bothering to look up from the file he was reading, “I told him to be here early this morning so that he can look these files before we go to court.”

“He’s your puppy.  If you don’t keep track of him yourself, you’ll never learn any responsibility,” Donna dismissed Mike and dropped the keychain on Harvey’s desk.  “Marian Hartley lost these in our offices and then disappeared.  I think we need to try and find her.”

Harvey had stopped reading was staring at her with something looked suspiciously like shock, “Did you fall of the ellipse at the gym this morning and hit your head?  Why would I do something like that?”

“Come on, Harvey.  She’s one of Pearson Hardman’s clients.  As her attorneys, we have a responsibility to her.”

“I’m not her attorney.  Let whoever’s representing her find her.”

“Her case wasn’t assigned to anyone yet,” Donna admitted.

“Then we’re not her attorneys and we don’t have to find her.”

“What if her case turns out to be huge, with hundreds of billable hours?  You should at least look into it,” Donna waited expectantly, used to being able to convince Harvey to do whatever she wanted (although they both pretended otherwise).

Unfortunately for her, Harvey was in a particularly contrary mood (probably caused by a certain associate’s inability to be at work on time).  He ignored her request entirely in favor of glaring at said associate, who had just stumbled through the door.

Mike knew what Harvey thought about lateness.  He tried to distract him, “I have those briefs you asked me to look over yesterday.  I found –“

“You wore that same tie yesterday,” Harvey’s tone made it clear he considered that an infraction on par with insulting a client.

Mike froze, momentarily derailed.  He had been expecting a lecture on lateness, not an attack on his wardrobe choices.

“Really, that’s your problem with me this morning?” Mike realized too late that he fallen into Harvey’s trap, bring attention to his own lateness.  He decided to go on the attack, “Why do you even know what tie I had on yesterday?  Do you keep a daily journal of what I wear?”

“I pay attention because you are a reflection on me,” Harvey paused for a moment, “Plus, it get boring to lecture you about tardiness _every_ morning.  I like to be able to break it up.”

Unable to defend either his lateness or his tie, Mike sighed and turned to Donna instead, “How are you this morning?”

Harvey answered for her, “Donna has let all of those mystery novels she’s been reading go to her head and now she thinks she’s a private detective.  She would tell you all about it but you don’t have time to listen.  I need you to look over these contracts before we go meet with the client this afternoon.”  Harvey reached into one of his desk drawers and placed a tie on top of the folder before handing it to Mike, “I have briefs for you to go over after we get back from court, so expect a late night.”

Mike rolled his eyes, “Fine, I’ll get your contracts –“  His face lit up, “Before _we_ get back from court.  I’m going with you.”

He bounced out the door to get to work but paused in the doorway, “Hey, thanks for the tie.  I don’t want to leave you without a spare.  Do you want mine?”  He started to reach up to unknot it, “If you don’t wear it for a day or two, I’m sure no one will notice.”

“Get out!” Harvey snapped, revulsion etched on his features.

Mike grinned and left.

Harvey waited a moment, just make absolutely certain Mike was out of sight, before letting the corners of his mouth turn upward.

Donna tried to take advantage of his good mood but Harvey headed her off, “You can have these back,” he dropped the keychain in her hand, “Now why don’t you get back to work.  You can play Nancy Drew on your own time.”

Knowing when she could push her boss and when it was best to retreat, Donna went back to her desk.

*********************************************************************************

The rest of the day flew by for Mike.  He finished Harvey’s brief (plus two more for Louis) in time to join his mentor in court, as promised.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have time for lunch.  By the time Harvey finished arguing his case (successfully, of course) it was going on 5:00.

“Did you see the look on Conner’s face when the judge agreed that spending $8000 on a kid’s party violated the fiscal responsibility clause?” Mike was jazzed.

Harvey smirked, “The clause didn’t differentiate between business and personal spending.  Didn’t matter if he used his own money.”

“Do you know what we should do?” Mike asked, pausing outside the building that housed Pearson Hardman, “We should celebrate.”

Mike knew that technically the workday didn’t end for at least another hour but he was hoping that not only would Harvey let them knock off early, but he might also buy him dinner.

Harvey saw through the ploy but decided to pretend obliviousness, “You still have plenty of time to file today’s papers before you leave.”

Mike sighed and started up the stairs into the building but Harvey stopped him, “Hey, Mike, do me a favor.  Drop these files off on my desk.  I don’t want to take them home with me tonight.”

“Why don’t you take them up yourself?”

Harvey shrugged carelessly, “I have to leave so that I have time to change for my dinner date.  I made plans to celebrate my win.”

“You didn’t know there would be anything to celebrate,” Mike yelled at Harvey’s retreating back.

“Was there any other possible outcome?” Harvey yelled back.

Laughing softly, Mike headed straight up to Harvey’s office.  He didn’t doubt for a moment that he’s find a pile of work left by one of Louis’s minions and he didn’t want to forget to leave the folders.

Donna smiled at him as he passed her desk, “Heard you guys won.  Congratulations.”

“It was more Harvey than me,” Mike admitted.

“Of course it was,” Donna agreed, “but you’re a reflection of Harvey, so congratulating you is like him but without the side-effect of feeding his ego.”

Mike smiled his appreciation.  Tossing the files on Harvey’s desk made him remember something from that morning.

“Hey Donna, did you need help with something today?”

“Well since you asked,” Donna pulled the key ring out of her drawer and succinctly told Mike the entire story.

“Wow,” Mike flipped through the multitude of tags, “How do you forget these?”

Donna slanted him a you-must-be-kidding look.

“Okay, okay, I sometimes lose track of my things,” the younger man admitted, “But how do you not come back for them, especially when someone calls to tell you where they are?”

“That’s exactly my point!” Donna agreed, “So you’ll help me find her?”

Mike gave the red-head a strange look, “Why is this so important to you?”

“It’s the mystery of it.  Don’t you want to know?”

“I guess I can try to look her up,” Mike offered, “Although you could probably run the same searches yourself.”

“I’m interested in the mystery, not the work,” Donna’s expression said that this should be obvious.

Mike considered.  It would be good to win points with Donna, and it wouldn’t really take up that much of his time.  “Fine, I’ll get to it after I grab something to eat and finish Harvey’s work.”

“But before you start on Louis’s,” Donna called after him.

****************************************************************************

It actually took a little more time than Mike had anticipated to track down the keys’ owner.  He was somewhat surprised to find that there were 27 Marian Hartleys listed in the Greater New York white pages.  (That wasn’t even counting the M. Hartley’s but Mike didn’t want to score points with Donna badly enough to go there.)

Using public recorders, he eliminated everyone under 20 and over 50.  It seemed unlikely that a potential client would be a teenager and the combination of Coach accessories, child’s picture, and the store’s represented by the tags made Mike think that they belonged to a younger woman.  Then he used the location of the library branch and the community center (Why did a community center have a key tag, he wondered) to eliminate a few Marian Hartley’s who simply lived too far away.

If he had access to DMV records, it would have been simple to check and see which of the remaining Marian’s drove a Lexus.  Unfortunately, Mike didn’t have access to the DMV’s database.

“Don’t you know anyone who could check that for us?” Donna demanded when Mike reported on his progress.

“Why would I know someone who could do that?” Mike wanted to know.

“You were a criminal, you should have connections,” she informed him.

“I was not a criminal!” Mike gasped out, “It was a onetime thing, and Trevor, he . . .  You know what?  Never mind.  I’ll think of something.”

In the end, Mike sat down with a list of 7 Marian Hartley’s.  He began calling each one of them.  It took 3 days to catch up with them, a great deal of phone tag being involved.

He went with honesty, telling them that he had keys belonging to Marian Hartley and wanted to return them.  Some of the women thought it was a nice gesture, some were openly suspicious, but none of them admitted to owning the keys.

One Marian Hartley stubbornly refused to return his calls.  She was the only woman on his short list that Mike hadn’t talked to yet.  Finally, he devised a new plan to reach her.

“You want me to go _where_ with you?” Donna’s expression said that she was really asking, _When did you suffer this break from reality_?

“Donna, if I show up on her door step with her keys, she’ll have me arrested,” Mike implored her to see reason, “It’ll be better if there’s a woman with me.”

Donna sighed, “Fine, we’ll go tonight right after work.”

“What if I have plans tonight?  Tonight might not be – “  Donna stopped him with a look, “Tonight’s good.  Do you want to get dinner, too?  We both have to eat.”

“You’re buying, and it won’t be somewhere that serves food in a bag,” Donna made it clear that she was bestowing a great honor on the younger man.

“Great!  I’ll meet you here at 6:30 and we’ll head out,” Mike beamed.

“You two are dating now?”

Both jumped guiltily at the sound of Harvey’s voice.

“Mike is helping me out with something,” Donna took a step away from the young associate as she said it, her body language indicating how absurd Harvey’s question really was.

“Oh really?” Harvey eyed them both suspiciously, “And just what is he helping you with?”

Mike looked questioningly at Donna but the secretary turned back to computer, effectively leaving him on his own.

“Um . . . Donna needs . . .” Mike could occasionally be smoothly deceptive, but he found it almost impossible to lie directly to Harvey.  The truth spilled out, “Donna asked me to help her find Marian Hartley, the woman with the keys, or I guess the woman without the keys since we have her keys,” Harvey continued to stare so Mike continued to talk, “She asked for your help first but you said no.”

Donna threw up her hands in frustration, “You held out like 10 seconds.  I guess you were right about not being a criminal – you’d have confessed to the first cop who walked by.”

Since Mike had no real defense for that they fell into silence, waiting for Harvey’s ridicule to begin.

Harvey, however, surprised them, “That’s good.  It sounds like you’ve found her.”

Mike was immediately suspicious, “That’s all you have to say?”

“While it is tempting to mock you,” Harvey admitted, “You are helping Donna, which makes Donna happy.  When Donna’s happy, my life is easier.  So really, it’s like you’re helping me.”  Plus, he figured he could always mock Mike later when Donna wasn’t around.

Donna smiled, perfectly happy with this logic and returned her attention to the work on her desk.

“You’re unbelievable,” Mike told Harvey, shaking his head, “And don’t worry, I’ll have your research done before we go.”

“I know you will,” Harvey told him.  He started to walk towards his office but stopped to add, “And don’t think that I’m coming to post bail if this poor woman you’re stalking has you arrested.”

Mike was still shaking his head as he headed for the law library.

***************************************************************************

That evening, Mike and Donna made the short walk from the subway station to Marian Hartley’s brownstone.  At the front door, they exchanged uneasy looks.

“This doesn’t look right,” Mike gestured to the overflowing mailbox next to the door.

Donna shrugged, “Only one way to find out.”   She knocked firmly on the door.  After a few minutes of waiting she knocked again, but there was still no answer.

“Maybe she’s still at work?  Or running errands?  Or out with friends?” Mike suggested.

“No,” Donna shook her head, “She left her keychain at Pearson Hardman, she doesn’t answer her phone or return messages, and it’s been days since she took her mail in.  Something is _wrong_ here.”

Mike looked uncertainly from Donna to the mailbox, “If you’re right, what do we do next?  We can’t use her keys to break in unless . . . Can we use her keys to check inside?”

“Of course not!” Donna snapped at him.

A strained silence descended as both tried in vain to decide what their next step should be.

Mike gave an involuntary jump when a woman stepped out the house next door, his eyes darting around guiltily at being caught on Marian Hartley’s doorstep.  Donna shot him an irritated glare before setting her face into a confident, friendly expression.

The middle-aged woman smiled brightly at them, “I’m so glad to see that someone has come to check on Marian.  Ever since her divorce, my husband I have worried about her living alone.  It’s nice to know that her co-workers are checking in on her,” her relief faltered slightly, “You do work with Marian at the ad agency, don’t you?”

Donna responded without missing a beat, “We just wanted to stop by because Marian because she hasn’t returned any of her messages.”  She added a reassuring smile.

Mike took a second to admire Donna’s poise before joining the conversation, “This doesn’t make me feel any better.”  He gestured to the overflowing mailbox, “Have you seen Marian lately?”

“No,” the neighbor shook her head, “Not for a couple of days.  And I know that her car hasn’t moved this week.”  She pointed to a Lexus sedan parked by the curb, “Didn’t she answer the door?”

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone home,” Mike looked at a few of the windows but the curtains were all tightly drawn.

“I assumed that Marian was sick, or maybe she had some kind of emergency.  I have to admit that I’ve been hoping that she was off somewhere with that new boyfriend of hers.  She deserves to have something nice happen.  You think she’s okay don’t you?”

“I’m sure there’s an emergency contact on file at work,” Donna reply continued to skirt around the fact that they didn’t actually work with Hartley.

The woman looked relieved, “I’m sure they’ll know how to find her.  Tell Marian that Sharon was worried about her.”  Taking Mike’s vague smile for some kind of agreement, she gave them a friendly wave before climbing into her car.

“So what do we do now?” Mike asked, “We can still use the keys to check out the house.”

“No, we can’t,” Donna’s glare clearly communicated her opinion of Mike’s intelligence, “We need to go to the police.”

“And tell them what?  That you stole this woman’s keys and we used the internet to track her down like creepy, creepy stalkers?”

Donna’s confidence faltered as she considered Mike’s point, “We should get out of here before some less trusting neighbor calls the police on us.”

That was an idea Mike could get behind.  They walked back to the subway in silence, each trying to decide what to do next.

Donna spoke first when they reached the station, “You’re still buying me dinner.”

“Fine.  Whatever,” Mike was surprised by the red head’s priorities.

His irritation amused Donna.  She had a plan but didn’t see an immediate need to share it with the puppy.  “Call Harvey and have him meet us at the restaurant,” Donna called back as she headed down to the platform, “And hurry up – I don’t want to miss the next train.”

Mike sighed as he pulled out his cell and punched the #1.  (He refused to think about what it said about his life that his boss was the first person on his speed dial.)

“I already told you that I’m not posting bail,” Harvey answered on the second ring, “You’ve just wasted your one phone call.”

“If you hadn’t answered I’d get to make another one, so really, you wasted my one phone call,” Mike pointed out.

“I just couldn’t resist,” Harvey admitted cheerfully, but when he continued Mike could hear the slightest change in inflection that experience had taught him meant that Harvey was concerned, “You’re not really in jail, are you?”

“Because you would come bail me out?”

“I’d bail Donna out.”

Mike rolled his eyes even though Harvey couldn’t see him, “Well Donna doesn’t need you to bail her out.  She does want you to meet us for dinner.”

He began mentally preparing arguments for why Harvey should spend non-business hours with his employees, but Harvey surprised him by simply replying, “Fine.  Where are we eating?”

Mike rattled off the info just as he heard the train arriving.  Running down the escalator, he didn’t have time to wonder about his boss’s unusual agreeability.

*********************************************************************************

Because he had a car and driver at his disposal (and didn’t have to switch trains), Harvey arrived at the restaurant first.

It was a smaller Italian place, family run with good food and moderate prices.  It was one of the places that Harvey occasionally ordered take-out from if he worked late.  He knew that Donna had chosen it both because she liked the food and because she was making the kid buy.  If she had planned on inviting Harvey from the beginning, she would probably have decided on somewhere more expensive.

Harvey was seated at one of the booths along the left wall (more private) when Mike and Donna arrived.  He had already ordered appetizers.  When you worked as closely as they did, you learned what everyone liked to eat pretty quickly.

The next little while was taken up by the arrival of said appetizers, drink orders taken and delivered, appetizers cleared away and entrees brought.  Harvey filled Mike and Donna in on his final client of the day, the three of them coming up with a game plan for closing his lawsuit the next morning.

It wasn’t until the waitress had left them to their entrees that Harvey leaned back and regarded the couple seated across from him with ill-concealed amusement, “So tell me what happened in Queens.  Was that poor woman actually happy to get her keys back or does she want a restraining order?  I’ve somehow fallen behind in my pro bono work.  I could probably help her.”

“We didn’t get to see her,” Mike sheepishly admitted.  “Something’s really wrong there, Harvey.  Her car hasn’t moved in days, no one’s getting her mail, her neighbors are worried about her.”

“Mike, you realize that there are a lot of possible explanations, right?  Don’t let Donna’s imagination run away with you,” Harvey studied his associate carefully, knowing that trouble found Mike easily enough without the kid going in search of it.

Mike immediately proved Harvey’s fears correct, “I know that, but Marian Hartley needs help.  I can feel it.”

Harvey’s eyes widened in alarm, “You feel it?  What do I keep telling you?  We’re lawyers – we deal in facts and evidence.”

“Donna was there, too,” Mike pointed out, “She agrees with me.”

“Is that true?” Harvey demanded, switching his attention to the red head, “You’ve fallen for the kid’s delusion?”

Donna had been content to let Mike fill their boss in on the details of their visit, but she knew that now was the time to put her plan into motion.

She made certain that her expression was especially earnest, “I do think that there is something bad’s happening.  We have Hartley’s house key.  Later tonight, Mike and I are going back and using it to break in.  We’ll need a car in case we have to get away quickly.  Will you drive us and wait a few streets over?”

Mike’s mouth popped open but Donna’s swift kick under the table kept him silent.

“Will I - ? What!? No!” Harvey stopped and took a deep breath, “You are not breaking and entering.  This little game has gone far enough.”

A discreet elbow in the side told Mike two things: 1. Don’t share a booth with Donna again and 2. It was his turn in this game he still didn’t quite understand.

“But Harvey, we have the key.  And something is really, really wrong.  We have to do something,” Mike added a slight pleading note to his voice.

“Absolutely not!  Give me the keys right now,” Harvey held out his hand expectantly, “Mike, I expect you to have bad ideas but, Donna, you should know better.”

Donna pulled the keys out of her purse but hesitated before handing them over, “If we don’t do anything, then who will?  What if Marian’s really in trouble?”

“There are police officers to handle this kind of thing,” Harvey flexed his fingers impatiently.

“Harvey!  That’s the answer,” Donna’s eyes widened the way that Harvey or Mike often did when a difficult solution suddenly became clear (although _she_ managed to make the gesture somewhat mocking), “Don’t you still know some police detectives from back when you were with the DA’s office?”

The pair exchanged a long stare while Harvey weighed the pros and cons of doing what she asked.  Donna waited patiently, already knowing that she had won.

“Fine.  Tomorrow morning I’ll make a phone call.  This whole situation will be turned over to the people who get paid to handle these kinds of problems, and you two can get back to doing what I pay you to do.”

As Harvey finished his dinner, he did a quick review of who owed him a favor in the NYPD.  He also reflected on the fact that Donna’s new hobby was perhaps not quite as entertaining as he had first thought.

*********************************************************************************

Friday morning, Harvey made a call to Sarah Miller, an NYPD cop he had known back in the day.  After giving Miller the basics of what Donna and Mike had learned (making them sound more like professionally concerned members of the firm than crazed amateur detectives), he considered the problem handled and put it from his mind.

Saturday night found Harvey winning a charity poker tournament.  In doing so, he impressed a very attractive neurosurgeon, who admired his dedication to such a good cause.  Harvey couldn’t actually remember exactly which charity the game was for, but he knew that it had something to do with orphaned children.  He kept the rest vague, charmed the good doctor back to his condo, and the rest of the weekend went very well.

Since Mike couldn’t be trusted at the tournament (card counter), Harvey had no problem sending him home for the weekend with the research for the Stiler Merger.  He figured that the kid didn’t have anything else to do anyway.

That meant that they were already ahead of the game on Monday morning.  By lunchtime Wednesday, the merger was successfully completed.  Mike was in his cubicle proofing briefs for Louis.  Harvey was seated at his own desk, surfing the internet for sports scores and considering taking a walk around the firm to see who he could annoy.

“Harvey,” Donna hissed from just inside his doorway, which was unusual enough.  Her next words cast a serious shadow over his good mood, “Security just called from the lobby to warn me that a homicide detective is on his way up to talk to you.”  Donna stared at him expectantly.

“What?” Harvey demanded.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?  Do you need me to create a distraction so that you can get to the service elevator?”

“I don’t even know where the service elevator is,” Harvey assured her, “And there’s nothing that I need to confess – thank you for your confidence.  I don’t know why the detective is here.”

Donna gave him a skeptical look before returning to her desk.

A moment later, one of the Pearson Hardman’s receptionists appeared, followed closely by the anticipated visitor.

“Detective Nick Crawford.  I need to speak with Mr. Specter,” he offered a smile that said that he was willing to be pleasant – until there was a reason not to be.

Donna smiled back, “Please go right in.”

She didn’t turn to watch Crawford enter the office, but she did make sure the intercom was on.

********************************************************************************

At his desk, Mike was absorbed in his work, his ear buds blocking out the office around him.  A tingling on the back of his neck made him suddenly aware that most of his fellow associates were gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves and sending suspicious looks his way.

That usually meant he was about to be the victim of some unimaginative but potentially humiliating prank, which was bad enough in itself.  Even worse, Louis was standing several feet away, staring at Mike intently.  It was his beady gaze that had distracted Mike from his work.  Louis’s involvement raised the situation to positively horrifying.

Realizing that he had been spotted, Louis gave the younger man a sinister smile, gliding over to his cubicle.

“Michael.”

Mike waited but Louis didn’t offer anything else, choosing to stare at him instead.  Although Louis no longer terrified him, Mike still found him creepy and disturbing.  The younger man broke first.

“Can I help you with something, Louis?”

Louis’s face took on an even more weasely aspect than usual, “There’s a police detective here to see Harvey.  He’s a homicide detective,” Louis leaned down in a way that was probably supposed to seem confidential but only made Mike feel trapped, “If there’s anything that you would like to tell me, as your supervisor, now would be the time.  You don’t have to go down with Harvey – unless you do have to go down with Harvey, like if you helped him hide the body.”

“How do you know Harvey didn’t help me hide the body?” Mike watched in disbelief as the other attorney actually considered it, “Louis, I’m joking!  I don’t know why the police are here.  Even you can’t think Harvey killed someone.”

Louis’s eyes got extra shifty, telling Mike that he had been thinking exactly that.  He stalked back to his office without another word.

The second he was out of site, Mike headed for Harvey’s office.  He forced himself to walk no faster than decorum allowed.

Donna waved him off with a miniscule shake of her head when she saw him approaching.  Mike walked past, continuing on to the break room like that had been his intention all along.  The brief glimpse he got of Harvey’s office reassured him somewhat.

Harvey, of course, had looked cool and collected (Mike would have expected nothing less).  Unfortunately, the detective was seated across the desk from Harvey, which put his back to the hallway.  Still, his posture had seemed at ease.  And he wasn’t trying to take Harvey away in handcuffs.  Maybe everything was going to be okay.

Mike fixed himself a cup of coffee.  The tightness in his chest loosened for the first time since he looked up to find Louis watching him in the bullpen.

Suddenly the door popped open, allowing Donna to poke her head in, “The NYPD’s gone and Harvey wants us in his office now.”

*********************************************************************************

Mike had barely had time to settle into his customary spot on the leather couch when Harvey bluntly announced, “The police found Marian Hartley.  She’s in the morgue.”

“My God!” Donna gasped from where she was standing next to the record player.

Mike’s mind was racing, “What happened to her?  Was she dead in her house?  Was she dead when we were there?  Was there something we could have done for her?”

“Settle down,” Harvey ordered him, “The detective didn’t want to give me much information.  Apparently, Hartley’s body was pulled out of the East River almost two weeks ago.”

Mike breathed a sigh of relief.  That was several days before he and Donna had gone to Hartley’s house.

Harvey was still talking, “She was listed as a Jane Doe until I asked a friend on the force to look into Marian Hartley’s whereabouts.”

“They’re sure it’s her?” Donna asked quietly.

“I assume they check those kind of things out thoroughly,” Harvey snarked.

“How did she die?” Mike wondered, “Do we have to give statements?  Is Donna a suspect because she stole her keys?”

“I didn’t steal her keys!” Donna protested indignantly, “She lost them.  I just wanted to give them back to her.”

“Quiet!” Harvey stood up from behind his desk, “The police don’t know about the keys or your little fieldtrip to Queens.”

“What do they know?” Mike asked, “What did the detective ask you?”

“Sarah gave Det. Crawford my name because I had asked her to look into Hartley.  I told him that Hartley was a client.  I was concerned because I couldn’t contact her.  I couldn’t say anything else because of confidentiality.”

“It has to be foul play or they wouldn’t have a detective looking into it,” Mike pointed out, “You won’t be able to play the confidentiality card for long in a murder investigation when the ‘client’ is the victim.”

Harvey nodded, “I know that.  I was just buying some time.  We’ll have to work fast.”

“To do what?” Mike was confused, “We’re not PI’s.  Why don’t we tell the police what we know?  Then they can do their jobs.  What we did was maybe a little weird but we didn’t do anything illegal.”

Harvey’s expression made it clear that, right now, Mike was _not getting it_.  “Marian Hartley went to the trouble of finding our firm and making an appointment.  She was obviously here in the building but, according to our records, she never actually met with anyone.  Instead, she left in such a hurry that she left behind the anchor that is her key chain.  As far as I can tell, that may be the last time she was seen alive.  We need to find out why she needed a lawyer.”

“I’ll make some inquiries around the firm,” Donna volunteered, “Find out who she was supposed to see, what she said when she made the appointment.”

Harvey nodded, “Try to find something by the end of the day.”

“We have security cameras,” Mike pointed out, “Let me talk to Benjamin in IT, see if he’ll pull some footage for me.  Maybe we can tell what spooked her.”

Harvey smiled approvingly, “Do that.”

“Do you want to watch the video with me?” Mike offered.

“No, Rookie, some of us are too important to drop everything at a moment’s notice.  I have a deposition and a client meeting this afternoon.  Now, both of you get out so that I can prepare,” Harvey settled behind his desk and reached for a folder.

Donna went back to her own desk.  She needed to do some research and plan her attack.  It was, of course, terrible that the poor woman was dead, but this was a real life mystery for her to solve.

Mike waited for the elevator to take him to the IT department with considerably less enthusiasm.  He was still a little worried about what would happen if he came to the NYPD’s attention, being a fake attorney and all.  Still, a woman had come to them for help and now she was dead.  They owed it to her to find out why.

Harvey took a moment, now that he was alone, to consider some of the risks involved in this little adventure.  If Marian Hartley was actually the victim of foul play, he needed to get the police involved quickly – before either Donna’s insatiable curiosity or Mike’s ridiculously bad luck could place either of them in danger.

“Harvey, what the hell have you gotten yourself into now?” Jessica demanded from the doorway.

He smiled his most charming smile, “It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.  Apparently, there was a stabbing outside a bar I stopped at a few days ago.  The police are just looking for possible witnesses.  I didn’t see anything.”

Jessica studied him suspiciously.  She wasn’t fooled by either his charm or his flimsy story.  Unfortunately, she didn’t know enough about the situation to call him on his bullshit.

She chose to leave with a warning, “Harvey, this firm isn’t strong right now.  If you get yourself in trouble, I’ll have to cut you loose.  Don’t think for a minute that I won’t.”

********************************************************************************

Two hours later, Mike was just settling down to watch the video Benjamin had loaded onto a hard drive for him when Harvey appeared in the conference room doorway with a folder in his hand.

Mike hit pause, “How’d the deposition go?”

“I got everything I needed,” Harvey answered nonchalantly, “Now I need this written up and filed by the end of the day.  I have a client meeting in 20 minutes.  Are you almost done?”

“Almost done?  I had to talk to Benjamin – who was already busy – find the right sections of tape, wait while it copied – “ Mike saw the impatience in Harvey’s expression, “No, I’m just getting started.”

“I need this filed by the end of the day.”

“Repetition isn’t going to change the situation,” Mike pointed out.

“Maybe I’ll go and get another associate to take care of this.”

“That’s probably what you should do.”

“You might want to reconsider that,” Harvey warned, “I might like working with someone else better.”

Mike smirked, “I’m not worried.”

Harvey smirked back.  There was a time when Mike would have been very worried about just that.  He was proud of how far the younger man had come.

Since it wasn’t in Harvey’s nature to admit that pride, he ignored it.  “After my meeting, I’ll have Donna order dinner in.  We’ll meet in my office to eat, go over what the two of you have found, and fix whatever Louis’s minion messes up in my filing.”

Mike waved him off and settled in to watch the video.

Entering the associates’ cubicle farm, Harvey paused to consider his choices.  As far as he could determine, there was no good one.

“If you’re looking for Ross, he hasn’t been at his desk in hours,” one of the associates, a shorter man with dark hair, volunteered, “I’d be happy to help with anything you need.”

_Kiss-up_ , Harvey thought, but at least this one was ambitious enough to speak-up.  “Mike’s working on something else for me.  I need this written up and filed before the end of the day.”

Harvey spent the next several minutes explaining what he expected in detail.

“Why Harvey, I don’t believe this is your associate.  If Mike is overwhelmed, you know that you need to ask me before you decide to use one of the other associates.”

Harvey forced his expression to remain bland while taking just a moment to control the burst of rage Louis’s voice invoked in him these days.

“Louis, I have several important cases right now.  If you have a problem, take it up with Jessica.”

The two men glared at each other for a tense moment.  Louis folded first, “You misunderstand.  I’m only saying that I need to be aware of what each associate is working on.”

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Harvey replied ironically, “I’m going to have –“ he gestured towards the associate, “him working for on a case this afternoon.”

“It’s Kyle Durant, Mr. Specter.”

“I didn’t ask,” Harvey left the files with Kyle and headed back to his own office without a backwards glance.

********************************************************************************

Kyle felt himself relax as he watched Specter walk away.  He had spent nearly 2 years trying to get Harvey Specter to notice him and it had looked, for a few seconds, as if Louis was going to ruin his opportunity.

“Mr. Durant,” Louis was staring at him intently, “I expect that you’ll have that finished for Harvey well before the end of the day.”

“Of course.”

Louis nodded, “Bring it to me before you take it to Harvey’s office.  I’ll look it over for you.  We want to make sure it’s perfect.”

“I’ll bring it to you right away,” Kyle promised.

Louis waked away with a satisfied smile.

Kyle watched him go before sitting down to get to work.  He knew perfectly well that Louis was hoping to find some way to force his way into the case, or even poach the client outright.

That was fine with Kyle.  He’d do his best work.  If he impressed Specter, this could be the beginning of great things for his career.  If Louis succeeded, he’d be inclined to think favorably of Kyle and Harvey would focus anger on Louis.

It was a win / win for Kyle.

*******************************************************************************

At Six o’clock many of Pearson Hardman’s employees were finishing up assignments and preparing for their evening commute.

In Harvey’s office, the senior partner, his associate, and his secretary were settling in to a dinner of Chinese take-out and work (even if it wasn’t, strictly speaking, Pearson Hardman work).

“I talked to Detective Crawford again this afternoon.”

Mike and Donna both stared at their boss, expecting more.  Harvey helped himself to the Shrimp Lo Mein.

“Well?” Mike finally demanded, “What did he say?”

“Oh, you want to know?” Harvey enjoyed the twin glares directed his way before becoming more serious, “He called about an hour ago to let me know that Marian Hartley drowned.  Her death is being ruled a suicide, the investigation is closed, and thank you for your cooperation.”

“So we’re done?” Donna asked.

“Are we?” Harvey gestured to the folder she had set down next to her.

“Even if she did commit suicide,” Mike realized, “it doesn’t mean there isn’t still a case.  She wanted a lawyer for a reason.”

“Now you’re getting it.”  Harvey turned to Donna, “What did you find?”

“Marian first contacted the firm on the 4th.  The call went through the main switch board, routed to the admin who schedules new clients.  Susan was working that day.  She remembers talking to Marian.”

“She remembers one perspective client from almost a month ago?” Mike asked skeptically.

“Apparently most potential clients of Pearson Hardman are not unwilling to discuss the nature of their case.  Poor Susan had a hell of a time trying to figure out which department her appointment should be with.”

“Who did Susan set her up with?” Harvey knew enough about how the firm worked to know that the girl who answered their phones didn’t interest him much.

Donna shot him a look to let Harvey know that she did not appreciate having her story rushed, “Susan eventually managed to learn that Marian had a potential liability suit against a pharmaceutical company.  She transferred Marian to Norma.”

“So her appointment was with Louis?” Mike groaned.  If Marian Hartley had been Louis’s client, they weren’t going to get very far.”

“Of course not.  Louis is a senior partner.”  Mike was impressed that Harvey had finally reached a place where he could say that without the disgusted scowl – he was making a lot of progress, “Hartley would have met with an associate who would determine if she really had a case.”

“Louis oversees the associates, so Norma schedules the appointments with whoever has time,” Donna added, “Technically, you’re part of that pool.  Maybe if you took your turn with the crazies, you’d understand better how the firm works.”

Mike’s widened, unsure if Donna was being serious, but it was Harvey who answered her, “Mike doesn’t have time.  He’s busy doing actual important work.  For me.”  The older man waved a hand to dismiss the entire idea, “So which of the flunkies was Hartley unfortunate enough to talk to?”

“Her appointment was with Kyle Durant.”

Harvey noted that Mike could not hide his grimace at the other associates name.  He mentally congratulated himself on being the better man.

“Did you talk to Kyle?” Mike asked Donna hopefully, mostly afraid that he was about to draw that assignment.

“Sorry,” Donna really did sound apologetic.  She knew all about the tension between the two associates, “He’s been busy all afternoon.”

“Did Norma add any useful insight?” Harvey asked.

“She didn’t remember Marian very well.  I don’t think that Norma talked to her very much,” Donna replied, “Kyle reported that Marian didn’t have a case and that was the end.”

“Then he met with her?” Mike frowned, “On the tape, it doesn’t –“

“Why don’t we watch the tape while we wait for Durant to get here,” Harvey took a moment to savior the surprise directed at his way, “I have everything under control.”  He waited another minute before shrugging, “He’s dropping off copies of the motions he filed for me this afternoon.”

Mike rolled his eyes as he brought up the video on his laptop, which he sat on Harvey’s desk, “Matching up the time on the tape with the time in the computer that the receptionist registered Marian Hartley, that’s her.”

They watched silently as an attractive woman, well-dressed, around 40, stepped off the elevator and spoke with one of the receptionists.  After a short conversation, she moved over to the seating area to wait.  Hartley seemed calm and collected until she sat down.  Once seated, she pulled a phone out of her purse.

“See her hands shaking?” Mike pointed out.

On the screen, the woman had trouble pressing the correct buttons on the phone.

Donna frowned, leaning in, “I think she’s checking email or maybe reading text messages.  Can’t we zoom in or something, read what’s on her phone?”

“It’s security footage, Donna.  This is as good as it gets,” Mike ducked away from the red head’s glare.

Harvey ignored them, studying the computer monitor, “Whatever she’s seeing, it’s upsetting her.  Her posture’s collapsing and she’s starting to tremble.”

They were interrupted by tapping on the glass door behind them.  Harvey gestured for Kyle to come in.

“I have this paperwork for you, Mr. Specter,” Kyle gestured with the folders in his hand.  He tried to subtly see the computer screen, interested in anything that caused Harvey and his people to stay late.  Mike angled it slightly away from him.

Donna rose to take the folder from him, positioning herself behind Kyle in the doorway.  Kyle didn’t like having the terrifying secretary both behind him and blocking his exit.

“Durant, I need to speak with you about one of your cases,” Harvey gestured towards the single chair next to the couch.  Once Kyle was seated, Harvey remained standing over him, “I need everything you have on Marian Hartley’s law suit.”

The silence that fell over the office was filled with a palpable tension.  Kyle obviously had no idea what Harvey as talking about but was afraid to admit it.  Harvey had no intension of helping him out.  Donna stood in the doorway, adding her own condemning glare.

Mike let his fellow associate twist for several minutes before throwing him a lifeline, “You had an appointment with her on the 9th.  She was a new client.  You were evaluating the merit of her claim.  Harvey needs to know what happened during that meeting.”

The confusion on Kyle’s face smoothed into his usual smugness, “I’m so sorry that it took me a minute to remember.  Marian Hartley thought that she had a bad drug case but it turned out to be nothing.  You know how people are, always thinking that they’re going to get rich going after some big corporation.  There was no reason for her to take up any more of the firm’s time.”

“Then you met with her?” Harvey pressed.

“Yes, but only briefly.”

Harvey continued to stare silently at Kyle while Mike swung the laptop around and unpaused the video.

On the screen, Marian Hartley shoved her phone back into her purse, not noticing that her keys had fallen out.  She rose unsteadily to her feet and walked with jerky strides towards the elevator.

As she waited, Kyle entered the reception area.  A gesture from the receptionist sent him over to Hartley.  They spoke for a few seconds before the elevator arrived and Hartley left.  Kyle turned and walked away.

“Wow, that was a brief meeting,” Mike agreed.

Harvey stepped between the two associates before an argument could begin, “Durant, what _exactly_ did she say to you?”

“She just said that she couldn’t stay.  It was kind of rude to just walk out that way,” Kyle looked sullen, “It wasn’t a big deal.  Some of us have to take these kinds of meetings with crazies all the time.”

“Fine, now get out,” Harvey sat down at his desk, grabbing one of his baseballs as he considered the next step.

Donna stepped aside, allowing Kyle to exit the office as quickly as his tattered dignity would allow.

The office was silent as the trio each considered what they had learned.

It was Harvey who spoke first, “I need to call Vanessa.  This needs more investigation than we’re going to do.”

“She doesn’t work cheap,” Donna noted, “You’re spending your own money and we don’t even have a client.”

Harvey ignored Mike’s grin, “There’s a case here.  This is an investment that’s going to pay off.”

*******************************************************************************

Back at his desk, Kyle sat and stewed.  He wasn’t even sure exactly how, but he knew that he had somehow failed in Specter’s eyes.

It was just fucking unfair that Ross, who was apparently much too important to waste his time vetting unreferred clients, had been there to see his humiliation.

Well it was now obvious that he wasn’t going to get a chance to work with the great Harvey Specter.  Which meant it was time to make other plans for his future.  Decision made, Kyle sent Louis an email requesting a morning meeting.

He didn’t understand the importance of this Hartley woman, but maybe the newest senior partner would be able to do something with the information.

*******************************************************************************

Life went on as normal at Pearson Hardman for the next three days.  Speculation about who would replace Hardman as a named partner was intensifying.  Who the favorites were seemed to change by the hour.

Harvey and Mike continued to be awesome, helping an important client fight off a hostile takeover.  They, of course, argued about how the awesomeness should be split.

Mike had almost convinced Harvey to agree on 40/60 when Harvey’s cell phone gave off the discreet chirp that signaled an incoming text message.

“Well it’s a good thing that _I_ settled everything for Cranston,” Mike didn’t miss the emphasis Harvey put on the I, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“It’s only 4:30.  Where are you going?”  There weren’t many people that could make Harvey jump like this and Mike’s curiosity was piqued.

Instead of answering, Harvey stood by his office door, briefcase in hand, obviously waiting for the associate to leave.  Mike made it a point to roll his eyes as he passed his boss.

Back at his desk, Mike was giving some serious consideration to following Harvey when Louis appeared to drop a stack of folders on his desk, “So I heard that you and Harvey saved Cranston’s company, or I guess Harvey saved the company and you were there.”

“Yes, Louis, we won.  Thank you.”

There was an awkward moment before Louis decided to forge ahead, “That means you should have time to proof these for me before you leave tonight.”  With a last smirk to make sure that Mike knew who had won this encounter, Louis was gone.

Mike pulled his highlighters out of the drawer with a groan.  He’d have to follow Harvey some other time.

********************************************************************************

Outside, the sky was an ominous gray as Harvey made his way to a small park near Pearson Hardman’s offices.  He casually sat on a bench beside an attractive woman reading a newspaper.

“If it rains on me, we’re done with this and will start meeting in one of our offices like civilized people,” the brunette delivered her ultimatum without lowering her paper.

“I get to do that all the time.  This is better,” Harvey insisted playfully.  Then he got serious, “Did you find out anything about Hartley?”

“Money first,” Vanessa demanded coldly.  She knew perfectly well that Harvey would pay her, but this was part of their game.  She glanced in the envelope he passed her, not bothering to count it.

She handed Harvey a slim package, “Hartley worked in advertising.  She was working on a campaign for a company called Imagen.  They were getting ready for a big launch of their new Botox derivative.”

Harvey consider, “It’s a connection but it’s thin.  Ad agencies work on the outside.  I don’t know if I buy Hartley learning something important enough to think she could sue over, much less die for.”

“Well she also started dating David Nymik, Imagen’s Project Manager for this new wonder drug,” Vanessa paused to note the gleam of interest that had appeared in Harvey’s eyes, “Then 10 days before she died, she told two of her friends that she was going to try a new skin care treatment.  They both say she was very excited.”

“Nymik wanted to impress his new girlfriend so he gets her a special sample of the new product before it hits the market,” Harvey felt the pieces start to fall into place, “Any idea how the treatment worked?”

“Unfortunately, Hartley was apparently not feeling very well.  She cancelled a night out with the girls and didn’t really talk to her friends in the days before she died.”  She leaned closer, her forehead creased with worry lines, “Harvey, there’s something else: The day after Marian Hartley drowned, Imagen cancelled the product launch.”

Unspoken implications hung between them until Harvey stood-up, energized now that he had enough facts to form a strategy, “You do wonderful work, Vanessa.”

He started to walk away but she caught his wrist, “Harvey, the police need to know about this.  This isn’t the usual kind of research I do for you.  A woman may have been murdered.”

He nodded, “I’ll give the police everything.  Are you covered?  Do you need me to keep your name out of it?”

Vanessa rolled her eyes, “Harvey, I’m a licensed PI.  I didn’t do anything illegal.  I’d be happy to help the police in any way I can.”

Harvey smiled gratefully before heading back to the office.

**********************************************************************************

Mike pulled out his ear buds and rubbed his tired eyes.  The 8:07 on his computer screen was blurry.  He was suddenly aware that Harold was the only other associate still at his desk.

“Well I’m ready to get out of here,” Mike called over the cubicle wall, “You want to get a drink?”

“Do I ever.  I know it’s hard to believe, but you can only play so much Minesweeper in one day.”

“If you’re not working, why are you still here?”

Harold leaned in and lowered his voice, “I’m a little afraid to go home.”

Mike was certain he was going to wish that he had never started this conversation, “Why are you afraid to go home, Harold?”

“I think that my neighbor’s cat is trying to kill me.  I don’t like to go home after dark.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Mrs. Wilson leaves her window cracked so that the cat and come and go.  It hides outside the building and attacks me when I stop to unlock the door,” Harold stood-up and raised his pant leg so that Mike could see deep scratches on his leg.

Mike eyed the injury with some concern, “Are you still making yourself tuna salad and bringing it to work in your briefcase?”

Harold looked shocked by this revelation, “Do you think that cat is really attacking my briefcase?”

Mike looked at the multiple scratches on the object on question, “I think it’s a good bet.”

“Will you come home with me tonight and help me get the rest of the tuna out of my apartment?  Then I can deodorize my briefcase and I’ll be safe.”

Mike was saved from replying by Harvey’s sudden arrival, “Mike, my office.  Now.”  And then he was gone.

Mike gave Harold an apologetic shrug before running to catch up.

“I thought you were gone for the day?” Mike asked, slightly out of breath, when he caught up.

“Vanessa gave me her report on Marian Hartley.  I read it over, made copies, and then called Detective Crawford,” Harvey was pulling folders out of his briefcase, laying them on his desk.

“If you called Crawford, then I take it that Hartley didn’t drown herself.”

“You don’t win any points for stating the obvious.”

“So what happened?” Mike was itching to see what was in the files but a bruising baseball to the back of his shoulder had long ago taught him not to take things from Harvey’s desk without permission.

“My best guess is that a pharmaceutical company named Imagen was about to launch a new Botox product that wasn’t safe.  Hartley was unfortunate enough to find that out and not smart enough to keep her mouth shut.”

Mike considered, “Are we going to represent her family in a wrongful death suit?”

“We might,” Harvey acknowledged, “That’s why I want you to find her family, find out who we should be ready to approach.  I also want you to read everything that Vanessa included about Imagen.  They must have tested this product.  There may be a class action lawsuit here.”

“People in tests sign waivers,” Mike pointed out.  At Harvey’s disappointed look, he hurried on, “But if the test subjects were knowingly given false information about the safety of the test, the waivers might be invalidated.”

Harvey smiled, “See, when you try really hard, you can think like a lawyer.”

Mike began gathering up the files, “Is there any chance I could get Vanessa’s number?  It might be helpful if I could talk to her.”

“No, Vanessa doesn’t have the time or train puppies,” Harvey smirked at the disgusted look that nickname brought to Mike’s face.  “I have to get going if I’m going to have time to get changed before I pick-up my dinner date.”

“Seriously?” Mike demanded, “It’s after 8:00 on a week night.  When do you sleep?”

“Sleep is for the weak,” Harvey retorted.  He left the office without looking back, assuming that his associate was behind him.

In the hall, they parted ways.  Harvey headed for the elevators and his date.  Mike went back to get his desk to get his bag before heading home.  Thankfully, Harold had not waited for him.  Mike was turning off his computer when he realized that Louis’s briefs, now completely proofed, were still on his desk.  He needed to make a quick detour by Louis’s office on his way out.

As he waited for the elevator a short time later, trying to decide what he wanted for dinner, Mike never realized that he had left one too many folders on Louis’s desk.

***********************************************************************************

The next morning, Louis leaned back in his chair as he considered the folder in his hand.

He recognized the notes jotted in the margins as Harvey’s handwriting.  It was obvious that Mike had accidentally left it when he had dropped off the completed briefs the night before.  Now Louis needed to decide what to do with it.

Imagen was a huge pharmaceutical company.  It was clear that Harvey was gathering information so that he could make a play for the company.  Bringing Imagen on as client would be a huge triumph.

Louis thought about what Kyle Durant had told him about the ambush in Harvey’s office.  A woman named Marian Hartley had been trying to push a fraudulent lawsuit against Imagen.  Kyle had seen through her thinly veiled ploy, sending her on her way.  Being only an associate, Kyle thought that was the end of it.  It took the brilliance and experience of a senior partner to see the possibilities.

Still, Harvey had a head start on him.  Louis knew that he would have to move quickly if he was going to steal Imagen out from under his rival.

Louis’s first impulse was to call Harold, but he immediately had second thoughts.  Harold didn’t have the instincts for this and Louis didn’t have time to hold his hand.

Kyle had brought this to Louis’s attention but he was too ambitious to be loyal.  Louis was fully aware of how badly Kyle wanted Harvey to notice him.  Kyle’s jealously of Mike Ross was painful to see.

The person he needed was Rachel Zane.  It was a god send that she and Ross had such an angry falling out.  Rachel could find him what he needed, and Harvey would never see it coming.

******************************************************************************

Three days later, Mike took the long way back to his desk from the break room, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand.  He needed to get up and move around as much as he needed the caffeine.

The past 72 hours had been a whirlwind of research, getting Harvey everything he would need to move on two possible lawsuits against Imagen as soon as the police finished their investigation, while still managing his regular workload.

Without realizing it, Mike found himself outside Rachel’s office, watching her work.  He regretted, for perhaps the millionth time, the impulse that had made him sleep with Trish.  He had ruined something important before it had even really started.

Realizing that she was being watched, Rachel looked up from her computer screen.

“Can I help you?” she asked coldly.

Embarrassed that she had caught him, Mike couldn’t meet her hostile glare, looking everywhere except at Rachel.  A name jumped off the paperwork on her desk.

“Why are you researching Imagen?” Mike demanded, too alarmed to remember to be tactful.

Rachel’s spine straightened, “What I’m working on is none of your concern.”

“I need to know why you’re looking into Imagen and what you’ve found out,” Mike stepped inside her office, trying to get a better look at the papers on the desk.

“You need to leave,” Rachel rose and gestured towards the hallway, “I’m done helping you and Harvey belittle the rest of the firm.”

“Rachel, this is more important than the firm,” Mike leaned over her desk, desperate to make her listen to him, “The police are investigating Imagen.  They murdered someone to cover up the fact that one of their drugs has harmful side-effects.  These are very dangerous people.”

Rachel looked doubtful, “Louis is trying to land Imagen as a client.  He uncovered a fraudulent lawsuit some woman was trying to bring against them.  He thinks that’s his in.”

“That woman’s name was Marian Hartley.  Rachel, she’s dead.  Harvey is working with the police to help prove Imagen is behind her death.”

Rachel’s doubt turned to alarm, “Louis left for a meeting at Imagen’s offices.  He took Kyle with him.  Are they in trouble?”

Mike paused, “They can’t do anything to them in their own offices.  But this is still very, very bad.  We need to tell Harvey right now.”

*************************************************************************************

Donna looked up to see Mike and Rachel hurrying down the hall towards her.

“Jessica’s on her way – “ Donna tried to tell them Harvey was unavailable but they brushed by her.  Irritated at the lack of respect, Donna followed them into the office, ready to give the duo a piece of her mind.

An equally irritated Harvey hung up his phone, regarding his three unexpected and unwanted visitors coolly, “I don’t care what kind of tiff the two of you are having now, I don’t have time to be your therapist.  Donna, get them out of here.  Let them cry all over you.”

“Harvey, Louis went to Imagen!” Mike blurted out as Donna latched onto his arm.  The red head immediately released him.

“Why would he do that?” Harvey demanded.

“He’s going to tell them about Marian Hartley, make it seem that he saved them from her lawsuit.  He wants to use it as an in to land them as a client.”

Rachel nodded frantically in agreement, “He gave me a folder you had on Imagen.  Louis thought that you were going after them.  He doesn’t know that Marian Hartley is dead.”

“Christ, Mike, what else have you left lying around?” Harvey shook his head in disgust.

“I didn’t mean –“

Donna cut off the abashed apology, “Harvey, what are you going to do?  Louis is going to confront murders in their own offices.”

“He took Kyle with him,” Rachel offered.

“That’s even less useful than taking Mike,” Harvey informed her.  He took a calming breath, “This is even worse than you realize.  I was talking to Detective Crawford when you burst in.  The police have been unable to talk with David Nymik because they couldn’t find him.”

“Imagen is a big company,” Mike pointed out, “It wouldn’t be too hard for them to remove him from NYPD jurisdiction.”

“Oh they removed him alright,” Harvey agreed grimly, “The police just found him dead in a hotel room.  He died of an apparent drug overdose.  That’s pretty convenient way to kill someone when you’re a drug company.”

“It’s getting sloppier though,” Mike pointed out, “Like they didn’t have as much time for planning.  It points back at them.”

Rachel stared at them in disbelief, “This is all very interesting but _what about Louis and Kyle_?”

Realizing that everyone was staring at him expectantly, Harvey began to give instructions, “Mike, you’re with me.  Donna, have Ray meet us downstairs.  Then try calling Louis and Kyle o their cell phones.  If you get them, make sure that they stay away from Imagen.  I’ll call Crawford from the car.”

As Harvey walked out the door, he passed Jessica, who was just arriving for their meeting.

“Rachel, tell Jessica what’s going on,” he called back over his shoulder without breaking stride.

Jessica raised her perfect eyebrows as she watched the senior partner and his associate walk away from her, while his secretary ignored her in favor of making phone calls.

She turned an unamused smile on Rachel, “Yes, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

*********************************************************************************

Mike and Harvey hung up their cell phones at nearly the same time.

“Donna didn’t have any luck,” Mike reported from his side of the town car, “Louis and Kyle are both not answering their phones.  She tried texting but didn’t get any answers.”

“Damn the stubborn bastard!” Harvey muttered.  “Detective Crawford is across town.  He’s on his way but he won’t be fast.”

“Why doesn’t he send closer police?”

Harvey sighed, “Look kid, the police still don’t have anything but suspicion.  They can’t beat the doors down just because we say so.”

“What about Louis and Kyle?” Mike protested.

“This is the real world, not a movie.  Businessmen don’t kill people in their own offices during business hours.”  Harvey noticed that Mike was truly concerned, “Imagen’s a pretty big company.  The receptionist might not have a complete list of all visitors.  Maybe they showed up while she was on a break.  It doesn’t mean anything.  Besides,” he added once he saw Mike calm down, “I’m hoping they stopped for lunch and we beat them here.”

“And if we didn’t?”

“Then we do what we do: Contain the damage, turn it to our advantage, and find a way to win.”

Ray smoothly parked the car in front of the building that housed Imagen’s offices.

Mike started to open his door but Harvey stopped him, “Wait a minute – you’re not getting out.”

“Then why am I here?”

“I’m going to stroll over to that coffee stand and buy myself some coffee.  If we did get here first, it can’t be by much.  I’ll see them coming and stop them from going in.  You call Donna back and see if she learned anything from Norma.”

Mike nodded, his phone already in his hand, “Will you get me a coffee, too?”

“No,” Harvey left the car without looking back.

“It’s not like you don’t owe me coffee!” Mike yelled after him.  The only reply he received was Ray’s quiet chuckle from the front seat.

Harvey took his time buying coffee (only one cup), surveying the street in both directions.  He knew that intercepting Louis before he could do any damage was a long shot but he was willing to give it a try, especially since he really didn’t have any other ideas at the moment.  Unfortunately, there was no sign of the weasel or his oily shadow.

What Harvey did see was his associate hanging out the car window and waving at him.  With a resigned sigh, Harvey tossed the now empty cup in a trash can.  It was time to find out just what else could go wrong.

Mike was already talking before Harvey even reached the car, “Louis didn’t tell Norma anything about Imagen.  His calendar says that he’s spending the afternoon looking at new furniture for his condo.  Do you think that Rachel was wrong?  Why would he take Kyle with him to look at furniture?”

Harvey put his palm on Mike’s forehead, pushing the younger man back to the far side of the car so that he could open the door and slide in, “Louis was worried Norma would talk to Donna.  That’s why he hid his meeting.  Paranoid rat.”  Harvey took a deep breath, “I don’t suppose either Louis or Kyle is answering their phones?”

Mike started to shake his head when an unexpected knock on the window behind him made him yelp.

“For God’s sake,” Harvey reached past him to lower the window, “Detective Crawford, I think we have a new problem.”

*******************************************************************************

Several hours later, Harvey slumped back in his desk chair.  Behind him, the sun was setting.  Mike, Donna, Jessica, and Donna occupied various spots in the office.

“Did the police tell you anything?” Mike asked Rachel, who had just returned from an interview with the NYPD.

Rachel shook her head sadly, “No, Louis and Kyle are still missing.  I was no help.  I can’t even say for sure that they went to Imagen.  Louis told me to have my research done this morning so that he could have it before his meeting.  He didn’t say where the meeting was or if it was even today.  I just assumed.”

“We all know that they went to Imagen,” Mike tried to make her feel better, “The police just need concrete evidence so they can act.”

Donna rubbed the younger woman’s shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Harvey stood up suddenly, “There has to be something else we can do.  There’s some card that we aren’t playing.”

Jessica eyed him carefully, “Harvey, I know that waiting is far from your favorite activity, but it’s up to the police now.  I have an important dinner meeting shortly.  We all know that this isn’t a time that the firm can show any kind of weakness so I can’t miss it.  I expect you to behave yourself while I’m gone.”

It was obvious that both Mike and Rachel wanted to protest but Donna silenced them with a sharp look.

Harvey smiled blandly at Jessica, “I certainly have no intention of playing hero for Louis.”

“I mean it Harvey,” Jessica paused in the doorway to gesture at the bottle of scotch Harvey was pulling out, “And stay away from that stuff.  You don’t need to cloud your judgment.”

Everyone left in the office stayed silent until Jessica was out of sight.

“So what are we going to do?” Mike asked.

“Donna, use your amazing network of admins to get me in touch with Imagen’s CEO,” Harvey instructed.

She left immediately to do what Harvey needed her to do.

“What are you going to say to him?” Rachel wanted to know.

Harvey ignored the question, “Rachel, get Mike everything you found on Imagen.  Mike, I’ve read your report.  If she found anything you missed, let me know immediately.”

Mike let the dig pass, already heading for Rachel’s office when he realized that the paralegal wasn’t coming with him.

Rachel started to approach Harvey, who had settled back behind his desk.  Mike caught her by the shoulder.  He recognized the look on Harvey’s face.  It was the same look he got when was planning courtroom strategy.  Mike knew from experience not to interrupt him now.

Reluctantly, Rachel left the office.

****************************************************************************

Less than an hour later, Mike and Harvey were seated in one of Pearson Hardman’s smaller conference rooms.  They were on speaker phone with Stan McKinney, CEO of Imagen. 

What Donna had said to get him on the phone at this hour, Mike didn’t know.  He also didn’t know what Harvey intended to say.  What Mike did know was that he was there to be a second set of ears, supply any facts Harvey needed on the fly, and catch anything Harvey missed.

“Mr. Specter, I’m afraid that I don’t really know what this is about,” McKinney was saying.

“Mr. McKinney, I appreciate you talking to us,” Harvey was being smooth and charming, “I know that your time is valuable so I’ll get right to the point.”  His tone became ever so slightly colder, “I have evidence that Marian Hartley’s claims were true.  I admit that I was just making some arrangements before handing it over to the police.  However, things have changed.  I’d be willing to make a trade for our people.”

There was a noticeable pause before McKinney answered, “I’m afraid that I’m not sure what you’re talking about.  I don’t believe that I know anyone named Marian Hartley.”

“Well Marian Hartley certainly found out quite a bit about your company and your new Botox drug.  You had to cancel its launch, didn’t you?” Harvey inquired pleasantly.

“Mr. Specter, I don’t think we should discuss this over the phone.  I happen to still be at the office.  Why don’t you come down here so that we can talk in person,” McKinney offered.

Harvey raised an eyebrow in Mike’s direction, “It just so happens that I’m still at the office as well.  Why don’t you come up here?”

“That’s not going to work for me.  Perhaps we should find a more neutral site.  I don’t think that either of us wants too many people around.  Do you have any suggestions?”

“My assistant can arrange a suite at the Four Seasons.  That should work for our purposes.  I’ll be discreet and let her draw her own conclusions about what I want the suite for,” Harvey replied, “Shall we say in two hours?”

“I’ll see you there, Mr. Specter.”

When Mike heard McKinney hang up, he turned off the recorder sitting next to the phone, “He definitely knows something.  There’s no other reason he would have agreed to that with just that flimsy little bluff.  He didn’t ask anything about what evidence you have, or question who you want to trade it for.”

“But he was smart,” Harvey pointed out, “There’s nothing on that tape that implicates him in anything.”

“So we go meet with him and see what he’ll say in person.  Do you need me to ask Donna to book the suite?”

Harvey smirked, “I had Donna book the suite before we made the call.  Let’s get going.  Ray’s downstairs waiting for us.”

*****************************************************************************

Two hours later, Harvey stepped aside to allow McKinney to enter the suite.

McKinney was in his 50’s, still fit, with gray sprinkled in dark hair and thin lips.  He paused in the doorway, obviously not happy to see Mike standing next to the suite’s bar.

“I thought that this meeting was just the two of us?” he asked Harvey.

“Stan – You don’t mind if I call you Stan, do you? – Two people are dead and two people are missing.  Did you really think that I’d be here all by myself?” Harvey smiled pleasantly, “This is my associate, Mike Ross.  Would you like him to fix you a drink?”

“Yes, I’ll take a scotch.”

Harvey nodded his approval, “Mike, we’ll all have scotch.”

Once they all had drinks, McKinney eyed Harvey coolly, “I don’t know what you mean by two people dead and two people missing.  I think that you’re assuming that I know a lot more than I do.”

“Are you still claiming that you’ve never heard of Marian Hartley?” Harvey sounded slightly bored.

“Actually, after we got off the phone, I went back through my records.  The name sounded familiar.  She was part of the marketing team that we hired to launch of one of our new products,” McKinney admitted, “Unfortunately, she talked the Project Manager into giving her a sample of the drug.  I think that they might have become romantically involved.  The drug wasn’t ready quite yet.  Hartley had some side-effects.  The whole thing was a nightmare but really wasn’t our fault.  She should never have had the drug in the first place.”

“Did you know she was dead?” Mike wondered.

McKinney glanced sharply in his direction, “No, I wasn’t aware.  What happened?”

“She drowned,” Harvey stated bluntly, “And then David Nymik died of a drug overdose in a Jersey hotel room.  Now two of our attorneys who were privy to that information are missing.  We want them back.”

McKinney spread his hands in a pacifying gesture, “Harvey – I can call you Harvey, right? – I don’t know why you think that I know anything about any of this.”

“Marian Hartley did her homework.  She had proof that you had falsified the results of your clinical trials.  You knew the drug was unsafe.  I’m guessing that you were hoping find a solution before the launch.  You would have lost a fortune if the public found out about the side effects,” Harvey stepped forward, getting into McKinney’s face.

“A fortune you lost anyway when the bodies started piling up and you had to postpone the launch,” Mike pointed out.

McKinney held his ground, meeting Harvey glare for glare, “If you have proof, let’s see it.”

At a nod from Harvey, Mike pulled several files out of his briefcase, spreading test results across the coffee table, “Nymik helped her get them.  They were planning on getting a big pay day from you, either privately or in court.”

Confronted with the reports, McKinney seemed to deflate, “You have to believe that I didn’t know anything about anyone being murdered.”

“I don’t have to believe anything,” Harvey snapped, “Tell me where Louis Litt and Kyle Durant are right now.  You can have these files and this ends here.”

“I don’t know for sure.  That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” McKinney slumped down into one of the chairs, “When we first got word that Marian had gotten sick from our product, I felt terrible, but we had to protect the company.  Matthew Trynard, our head of security, said that he would talk with her, try and get her to take some compensation and go away.”  He looked up at Harvey and Mike beseechingly, “I knew that he could be rough, might try and threaten her.  I chose to look the other way.  Trynard withdrew $100,000 from a company account and then I never heard anything else about it.  I assumed that she took the money and it was over.”

“That’s your story?” Harvey looked disappointed.

“What about Nymik?” Mike wanted to know, “What did you think when he died.”

“I didn’t know he was dead until you told me.  He took a leave of absence after the launch was cancelled and the project put on hold.  We probably should have fired him after the Hartley disaster but he’d been an excellent employee for a long time,” McKinney’s complexion grayed slightly, “It doesn’t matter now.”

“That still doesn’t tell us what happened to Louis and Kyle,” Mike pointed out, “They went to a meeting at your company today and haven’t been see n or heard from since.”

McKinney took a steadying breath, “If they called and mentioned Marian Hartley, the call was probably put through the Trynard.  I don’t know for sure what happened , but I do know that 2 years ago, Trynard used Imagen to lease a warehouse by the waterfront.  He doesn’t think that I know about it but, as CEO, I make it my business to know what my employees think I don’t.”

“Give us the address to the warehouse,” Harvey demanded.

Once McKinney had written the information on a hotel tablet Mike handed him, Harvey looked towards the closed bedroom door, “Did you get all of that, Detective?”

Nick Crawford stepped out in the sitting area, “I’m sending officers to the warehouse now,” he assured Harvey.  “Mr. McKinney, I have some further questions for you.  I’d like you to accompany these officers to Police Headquarters.”

McKinney nodded silently.  He didn’t look at either Harvey or Mike as he was led from the room.

“I’ll need those files,” Crawford told Harvey.

“They won’t help you,” Harvey smiled.

“They’re just the official test results that show the drug to be perfectly safe,” Mike added, “We figured he wouldn’t really look at them if we were right about other test results existing.”

Crawford was furious, “You told me you had proof.”

Harvey shrugged, “I lied.  You wouldn’t have been able to use it anyway.  Illegally obtained by dead people who couldn’t give any testimony about its origins.”

Crawford stormed out of the suite, the final uniformed officer following him, leaving Harvey and Mike alone.

With triumphant smirks, the two lawyers followed more slowly.

“Now we have to go back to the firm and explain this to Jessica,” Harvey remarked, “She should be back from dinner by now.”

He enjoyed watching the smile drain off Mike’s face.

********************************************************************************

In the very early hours of the morning, a small group of Pearson Hardman employees waited by the elevator in the reception area.

Jessica was standing by the windows, still shooting angry glares at Harvey.  They had spent almost an hour alone in Jessica’s office.  Harvey had emerged no more humbled than he had been when he had gone in.  Mike thought that it was Harvey’s refusal to be afraid of Jessica that was really making her angry.

Mike, on the other hand, was very afraid of Jessica.  He was seated in the waiting area, making himself as small as possible in the hopes that the Managing Partner wouldn’t notice him.

They were waiting for Louis and Kyle, who the police would be dropping off any minute now.  Once they had received word that the two men had been found unharmed at the warehouse, Donna and Rachel had both decided to go home, neither woman caring enough to have to see the duo in person.

Mike had wanted to leave with them but a single look from Harvey told him that would be a bad idea.

The elevator door slid open.  Mike heard Louis before he saw him.

“That warehouse was filthy.  Look at my suit!  It’s ruined!  McKinney and his company are going to pay to replace it.”

Mike thought Louis had an amazing resemblance to an angry gerbil.

Jessica stepped forward smoothly, “Louis, Kyle, I’m relieved to see that you’re both okay.  Today must have been a horrifying experience.”

Louis seemed to bask in her concern, “It was horrible.  I know that Kyle was very upset so I had to be brave, which I would have been anyway, of course.”

“Of course,” Jessica agreed, “You demonstrated your courage.”

“You also demonstrated an amazing ability to make 2+2=9.5,” Harvey added.

Louis started to advance angrily towards the taller man, “This was your fault.  Kyle and I were put in great danger because you wanted to play at being a crime fighter.”

Mike wanted to make a Batman joke but refrained when he saw Jessica step between the two senior partners.

“Harvey, Louis has a right to be upset.  What happened today could have ended very, very differently.”

Harvey nodded, “You’re right, Jessica.  Louis, I’m not unhappy that you and your associate are okay.”

Louis pointedly turned his back to Harvey, addressing only Jessica, “I’d like to go home now.  I need a shower and some sleep.”

“Of course,” Jessica smiled to include Kyle, “I have a car waiting to take you both home.  Don’t worry about coming in tomorrow morning.  Take some time to rest.”  She took each man by the arm, “I’ll ride down with you.”

Jessica made a show of not saying goodnight to Harvey, showing that he was still in the doghouse with her.

Once the elevator had whisked the trio away, Mike turned to his boss, “How long do think it’ll take her to forgive you?”

“I’ll be fine,” Harvey muttered absently.

Mike looked at him more closely, noting his frown and the wrinkles in his forehead, “What’s wrong with you?  I thought you’d want to celebrate.  You handed the police a murderer and made Louis spend hours tied up in a dirty warehouse.”

“He played us, Mike.”

“Who?  Louis?”

“No, McKinney.  He was playing us from the minute he got to the hotel.”

Mike considered, “You think he knew more about what happened to Hartley and Nymik than he let on.”

“Remember what he said?  _I make it a point to know the things my employees think that I don’t know_.”  Harvey ran a hand through his hair, “He spent the two hours before our meeting wrapping Trynard up in a nice little bow to hand to the police.”

“Probably,” Mike admitted reluctantly, “There’s not really anything we can do, is there?”  Suddenly, it didn’t feel to Mike like they had won.

“There’s one thing we can do,” Harvey shook off bad mood, “We get Marian Hartley’s sister to file a wrongful death suit.  McKinney did everything he did to protect his company.  We make sure that by the time we’re done, he doesn’t have a company left to protect.”

Mike thought about.  It wasn’t a perfect ending, but it would do.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by an actual key ring that was turned into the lost and found where I work. It was exactly as I described it in the story. We called the owner and left voicemails several times. She never called us back or came in for her keys.


End file.
